Note: this also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.
Overview:
Staying here will quite possibly be the most nondescript $269/night you ever spend on lodging. The place has a design aesthetic ripped from the pages of an 'everyday low prices' suburban furniture store circular. With respect to service and amenities, there were a few small items that are aggravating irritants to me, but depending upon your tastes you could find this place to be anywhere from functional but somewhat disappointing to perfectly safe and pleasant.
Highlights & Lowlights:
What was great
- Space. Rooms are big. Actually much bigger than I needed with 2 double beds.
- Location. Could not be more convenient if you are attending something at the San Jose Convention Center, as it is directly connected to it.
What wasn't so great
- Ventilation. Every time I returned to my room [# 2023] I could feel an immediate difference in air quality. The windows do not open and there was only one ~12" x 12" vent, which was at the opposite end of the room from the work area. I had the temp set to 60 with fan on high and there is no way the room ever got below ~70. First day I made the mistake of leaving the curtains open and the room baked during the day, so I was hoping the second day when I had everything closed there would be a discernible difference, but no dice.
- The Internets. LAN only access, far away from the a/c vent. Like working in an attic.
- No mini-bar or fridge. Maybe it's a Marriott thing because I had the same issue at the Marriott Marquis in NYC. Seriously, wtf? It makes absolutely no sense to me. So if I want a snack of any kind I need to schlep to a Walgreen's 5 blocks away or to a shady convenience store over by the San Jose State campus.
[Pause mini-fridge rant for a moment. It should be noted that I did stroll around and through the SJ State campus a bit, which seemed nice. My comment regarding the semi-shady grocery store in the photo above should not be construed as suggesting that San Jose State is shady. It could be, but that wasn't the vibe I got. If anything I probably looked like the shady old guy miscellaneously walking through campus. I'm lucky I didn't find myself cuffed and stuffed in this for suspicion of general perversion. Resume mini-fridge rant now ...]
And if I want something other than tap water I'm taking a trip to the vending machine that is conveniently located at the other end of the floor. That's definitely the first thing I want to do when I wake up. Trudge my unshowered self through a business hotel where who knows who I'll bump into looking like a zombie desperate for some cold water. Thanks Uncle Marriott. Guess I'll go with the buy-an-extra-bottle-and-drink-it-warm-in-the-morning approach. That's a treat.
Scorecard:
The 2 Critical Questions
- Would I stay here again? Probably not. I'd definitely explore options, such as the Sainte Clare, which I learned upon arrival is right across the street, looks much cooler and seems to be better priced. Ugh.
- Was it a good value? @ $270/night I didn't think so. The inconveniences and disappointments outweighed the good things for me. But I am not overly familiar with hotel prices in the San Jose market. Maybe $270 is what you pay for entry level functionality and if you want a mini-bar and a/c that works you need to go higher than that.
Essentials:
Service - Fine
Bed - Good, kind of smallish. They say it's 2 Queens but felt more like a double to me. Maybe it was the 47 pillows piled on each bed that threw off my perception.
Bathroom - Good, modern, large
Amenities:
Room Service - Good enough. Used it once, they were right on time and not outrageously priced [$23 for a pot of coffee, cereal and a bowl of mediocre strawberries].
TV - Good. Brand new flat screen.
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